Margaret Part 3

["Spirit One Email" <laurel@spiritone.com>]

Thoughts during the night:
   This King Henry III's sister was the wife of Alexander II so there was
already an alliance of marriage between the two countries.   But Alexander
III's mother was Marie, the second wife of his fathers'.  A few generations
later, Edward III's sister Joan married King David II.


King Henry III was the father of Scotland's great enemy, Edward I
(Longshanks).   I wonder whether Edward reviled his father's distaste for
war.   Young athletic prince Edward and and Robert Bruce (grandfather of
Robert the Bruce) joined  the Crusade of King Louis IX (the Saint) in 1270
which was headed towards Egypt.  Louis died in Tunis 1270 and back home
Henry III died making Edward now King of England.  So he returned home.  He
married second later in live, the grand daughter of this same King Louis IX.
Edward's son married the great great granddaughter of King Louis IX.  I
think that Robert Bruce went on to the Holy land where he contracted
leprosy.

   The story of Louis' fanatical desire to wipe out the Moslems saw him try
to set up an alliance with the Mongols who were headed that way.   But soon
he was informed that the great Kahn wasn't interested in any alliances only
conquest and Louis' gifts were considered tribute.  Furthermore the new
vassal, the King of France, should send similar tribute annually. Then the
Mongols advanced destroying and butchering everything in the path or side
path.   But Louis overlooked these affonts justifying his support of the
Mongols because they weren't Moslem and had a few Christians within their
ranks.  True, the Mongols spared Christians and their property in the cities
they conquered but still they were considered vassals of the Kahn.  A
position that the Moslems had never forced on the Christians.  But Louis
seemed to be so blinded to the danger that he was abetting.
     Political events in Egypt unleashed the Mameluks there who went to meet
the Mongols near Acre.  The superior numbers of Mameluks wiped out the
Mongol forces and ended further Mongol threat.  Then the Mameluks turned
their wrath on the Christians in 1265 to 1291 when the great and last
Templar/Frank stronghold at Acre fell.
All were killed there.  "By the middle of August 1291, there was not a
single building in Palestine held by the Franks.  Then the whole coast was
completely stripped of buildings and vegetation.  The Franks disappeared.
And thus ended the Crusades to the Holy land begun almost 200 years before.
Six years after the fall of Acre the Pope ironically declared King Louis IX
sainthood.

Laurel

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